


Fake Lives

by entanglednow



Category: Tin Man (2007)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-11-20
Updated: 2008-11-20
Packaged: 2017-10-21 20:49:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/229706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/entanglednow/pseuds/entanglednow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cain improvises, Glitch is confused.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fake Lives

Cain is normally easy to find, it's the hat, _definitely_ the hat, the hat and the coat are _distinctive,_ and even when Glitch isn't entirely sure why he's looking for the hat and the coat, or what will happen when he _finds_ them, he always knows that he should, in some way, be looking for them.

Which is uncharacteristically helpful of his brain.

Sometimes there's even bluster and shouting, to go along with the hat and the coat, which makes them even easier to find.

But the hat and the coat are the most important.

Like some sort of pictorial reference which manages to stay in his brain, by virtue of its symbolic nature.

He's not quite sure _what_ the hat and coat are supposed to symbolise?

There should be some sort of book.

About the hat and coat and how they pertain to Cain.

He should write a book about Cain.

He should write a book.

About symbolism!

He probably would have continued on that track, but someone gets thrown out of a house, which seems symbolic in a sort of Cain-sort-of-way.

So he goes inside.

And finds Cain in the middle of a group of very angry thin men, the tallest and thinnest of which is shaking his head at Cain's obviously annoyed expression.

They appear to be arguing over a giant silver head?

"No!" The very thin man says sharply. "The rules are very clear. It can only be a gift, a wedding gift. We _cannot_ give it to you"

Glitch weaves his way between thin men, with as much politeness as is possible when knocking into outstretched thin limbs, because it's apparently a very hazardous affair.

"Cain?"

"There you are," Cain says, with a suspicious amount of relief. Which is _very_ odd, because Glitch is fairly sure Cain didn't know he was coming.

How can Cain expect him when he hadn't known he was going to show up until very recently.

He's fairly sure Cain hasn't developed any sudden mind reading powers.

Fairly sure.

The sleeve of his jacket is snagged in one of Cain's large hands, and he's hauled the rest of the way, sending three of the thin men wobbling like skittles. Then he's squashed into Cain's side like some sort of bizarre accessory and that's an entirely strange and unusual thing for Cain to do. What with his very strict and seemingly non-verbalised, no-touching-except-under-threat-of-death-or-peril rule.

"We're getting married," Cain says seriously.

Glitch isn't expecting that.

"We are?" Because he feels that _that's_ the sort of important need-to-know information that people _shouldn't_ let him forget.

"He forgets things," Cain says carefully. "What with the..." There's a rather rude and unnecessary finger gesture concerning his zipper.

"I'm pretty sure I would have remembered that," Glitch tells him, and now he's very confused.

Because, he's pretty sure that would be something he definitely would remember.

Cain's fingers are suddenly in his arm, sharp and intent and Glitch is certain there's some sort of secret language embedded in their positioning and pressure...but that doesn't appear to be part of his knowledge.

Either way, he decides, it's probably best if he doesn't say anything else.

The very thin man, after a protracted huddle with the others, and some conversation that involves lots of serious talking and some emphatic arm waving, agrees to give Cain the giant silver head, which he puts into a bag, and pulls the drawstring on _very_ tightly.

Which is rather bewildering, but it seems to make Cain happy.

Cain continues to be happy, until they're out of the house and back on the road. Where he immediately _stops_ being happy and hovers somewhere between annoyed and relieved.

"Here!" Cain dumps the shiny silver head-in-a-bag into Glitch's arms, and it is heavy, it's heavy in a way that isn't interesting in a tactile and distracting way, but just heavy in a metallic and strenuous sort of way that he should probably protest about.

Cain is really sometimes _very_ rude.

"I don't know why I agreed to marry you!" Glitch says tartly.

"Technically you didn't," Cain points out.

"What?" Glitch's brain pauses, jumps unnecessarily ahead, and then gets very confused about where it started from originally.

"Technically you didn't, I was improvising."

Which, in some ways, is reassuring because weddings are very expensive, and really he doesn't know many people that he'd invite.

But in other ways, well it's just very confusing, and the only way Glitch knows how to deal with confusing is to either sit in it and be confused until it goes away, or to poke at it until it makes sense.

Sometimes one of those will happen before he forgets everything again.

"Can we not get embroiled in situations that require me to have a fake life. I have enough trouble with the two real ones I already have...had...have?"

Cain winds a hand round his arm, and steers him in the general direction that Glitch has little choice but to assume that they're _going_.

"Will you stop sniping, I was trying not to end up buried alive in some tree somewhere."

"They bury people alive in trees?" Glitch is aghast because that sounds thoroughly horrible.

"Maybe, I didn't really want to find out."

"Well I've already done the unpleasantly high birdcage and that wasn't fun at all," Glitch tells him, i case he hasn't told him before.

"Next time just go with it," Cain says, with the air of someone who's _certain_ he has never gotten confused in his whole life.

"That doesn't seem particularly wise considering."

"Considering what?"

"Considering you're very persuasive, and I'm in danger of forgetting that our fake life isn't real, or forgetting we're supposed to be having a fake life to start with, which may be good for the plan but it's definitely bad for me."

Glitch shakes his head fiercely.

"I can't start believing in things that aren't real, because that way lies madness. Do you know how easy it is to go mad with half a brain, astonishingly easy?" He stares down at his arms, and the giant silver head in-a-bag, and he has no idea what it's for, or why he's carrying it.

He's about to ask about that, but when he looks up, Cain has stopped walking and is wearing a very intent expression.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," he says quietly.

Glitch raises an eyebrow.

"For what?"

"Being an ass."

Glitch makes a noise in his nose. Because really that's very non-specific thing to apologise for.

The head really is _quite_ heavy.

"Is it bad that I have no idea what this is?" It's very hard to gesture with a fake head in-a-bag, but Glitch tries his best, and also manages not to drop it on his own feet. Which is always a bonus, because _no one_ likes having broken toes.

He doesn't know whether he's _actually_ ever broken his own toes or not, but he can imagine that it's not very pleasant at all.

He's going to tell Cain that too, and he probably would have done, but Cain pushes his hat back on his head and then tips at the waist and kisses him.

Glitch has no hands.

He's fairly sure you're supposed to have hands available when someone kisses you.

Though it doesn't seem to matter.

Cain's hands are doing just fine, and they know exactly where Glitch's head has to be to make everything briefly very, very interesting indeed.

Until Cain stops kissing him, hands sliding out of his hair, and Glitch instantly _misses_ the contact. People don't...people don't touch him like that any more.

"What was that for?" Glitch asks curiously.

"For being part of my fake life," Cain says softly, and then he clears his throat and pushes his hat back, so Glitch can't see his eyes at all.

"You're sometimes very confusing you know."

"Do you want me to carry the head?"

"What, oh no, I'm fine," Glitch tells him.

And he is.


End file.
